


Rant

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Anger Management, Background Relationships, Community: 1-million-words, Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-25
Updated: 2014-02-25
Packaged: 2018-01-14 04:08:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1252201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neal gets upset, as usual</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rant

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 1MW Thursday Trope prompt "Anger Born of Worry."

"Are you insane?" Neal shrieked, pacing frantically across the small headquarters at Haven.

Kel continued to pack her bags, choosing not to respond to his ire. She had chosen to tell Neal now, after dinner, for two reasons. Firstly so that no one else would be around while he got out his temper tantrum, and secondly, because packing would give her something to concentrate on while he panicked and argued. It was a plan that she had developed over the years, and it worked well.

"Of course you're insane," Neal continued, unfazed. "You went through all of that horrible page hazing nonsense, and you squired for the Kings Own, and you fought centaurs and griffins and Stenmun and Blayce and half of Scanra!"

Kel similarly ignored this recounting of her past. Neal's diatribe had grown with each new adventure Kel engaged in, and she had learned long ago that defending her choices made no difference. Sometimes it only gave Neal more to complain about.

She would be upset, if this wasn't how her entire life with Neal had been. He yelled because he cared, just as he yelled at his two young daughters when they tried new things. If Neal didn't care, he would be cool, and aloof, and Kel would miss his explosive rants.

"Still, I can't believe you're insane enough to even consider this!" Neal proclaimed. He was really gaining stride in both his pacing and his complaint, but Kel needed to rein him in. She had to get up early tomorrow, after all.

"So you think that other girls deserve to go through what I did?" she asked quietly.

Neal stopped short, turning to look incredulously at his best friend. "What?"

"You think that other girls - your daughters perhaps - should have to go through the same kind of gender-based bullying as a Page that I did?" Kel said. This was the logic that Roald had used on her, and it had worked for him; Kel only hoped that it would convince Neal as well.

Neal frowned, thinking, and began to pace again. Kel finished her personal packing and began to look around the small room for anything she might have missed. She had already arranged with Tobe for his gear and that of their mounts, so she had nothing left to take care of.

"I thought HaMinch was doing a good job," Neal finally said, much more calmly.

"He was," Kel explained. "But he's become too sick for the job."

Neal looked ready to protest, and Kel raised a hand. "The Healers have done all they can," she preempted his complaint.

Neal resumed his pacing, thinking and occasionally huffing to himself. "How long?" he finally asked.

"At least the end of the year," Kel said. "Possibly longer. Possibly permanently."

Neal just nodded as though he had expected that answer, and glanced at the door. "Who will take over here?"

"You, if you want," Kel replied. Roald had made the same offer, and once Kel finished laughing at the thought, she had suggested a few other replacements.

"What?" Neal growled, instantly jumping back into his familiar anger. "Me in charge of all these argumentative, thrice-curst, fighting farmers-"

"Is he done yet?" Yuki asked, poking her head through Kel's open door.

Kel smirked as Neal sputtered. "No, but he's into your territory, and I've got to be off early tomorrow, so I should really get to bed."

Yuki quickly retrieved her husband, dragging him from Kel's room. As they headed for the stairs, Kel heard Yuki say something quietly, and Neal protest, "But she's going to be the Training Master!"

As Kel prepared for bed, her smirk widened. Just wait until Roald talked to Neal about his own new post tomorrow. She'd see her friends again soon.


End file.
